Spaying - What to Expect

MaddiesMom · 03-07-2008, 02:38 PM

Maddie goes in on Monday to get spayed. I'm scared for her. I really don't know what to expect when she comes home. I do know that our vet does the surgery the tradtional way - not a laser and I have to keep her calm for two week.

How did you all deal with your girls getting spayed?

Any help, advice or experiences from you all will calm my fears some (hopefully).

terryjeanne · 03-07-2008, 03:11 PM

My sheltie was fine after surgery. Not as subdued as my last one when he was neutered. She had to wear the cone for a while because she wouldn't leave the stitches alone.

My problem was keeping her settled and not running around wanting to play ball.

Curbside Prophet · 03-07-2008, 03:14 PM

The hardest part will be twofold for you.

1) Resiting the temptation to play with her. She will act as if nothing happened rather quickly, if not hours after you pick her up. The cone your vet provides will probably do a lot to keep her calm. Most dogs hate these things and will mope. Otherwise, keep her occupied with kibble dispensing toys.

2) Keeping the wound clean, and free from infection. Definitely ask your vet about keeping the area clean, and this is probably less of a concern than #1.

Otherwise, she'll recover beautifully, and there's very little to fear or worry.

Shaina · 03-07-2008, 03:19 PM

Well, I've watched a lot of spays so I wasn't as tense as I could've been, but I was nervous about using a vet I didn't know. I just asked them to call me as soon as she was out of surgery and when she woke up to let me know how it went, and they were happy to do so.

Kim was groggy and miserable the first day -- she was definitely still out of it thanks to the anesthesia. She didn't eat at all, and just drank a little bit of water. By the second day she was dying for breakfast and was fairly active. By the third day she was back to her crazy energetic puppy self, bouncing around. Keeping her calm was the hardest part of the whole thing.

briteday · 03-07-2008, 05:19 PM

One of our dogs was spayed a few months ago. They did the procedure in the morning, called us at noon to let us know everything was fine, and we picked her up around 4PM. She was a bit groggy (be sure to take the crate to bring her home in the car as they are very unsteady for a while) and the vet said to give her only small amounts of water for the rest of the day, no food as she would probably vomit anyway (anesthesia side effect). She didn't lick so we didn't have to do the cone thing. We kept her in the crate for the rest of that day/evening except to potty. She slept the whole time anyway.

The next day we were told to give her 3 smaller meals instead of her regular 2 meals. Everything went fine and we kept her in the crate for the next 2-3 days so that she would stay quiet and not be romping with the other dogs, or them bothering her. You need to look at the incision at least 2 times every day and watch for redness, swelling, oozing, or hot to the touch.

After the third day we let her out of the crate more, just being cautious about rough housing with the other dogs. Usually the edges of the incision have mended together by this time so it's just a matter of final healing and not ripping it open. We had winter weather at the time so we didn't take her for any walks, just out in the yard for potty time.

Really by a week after the whole thing she was completely herself again. The first few days she slept a lot, then she just wasn't very tolerant of the other dogs for a few more days. Hormones I guess! So then it was just one more week of checking the incision and preventing jumping around before they removed the stitches.

AlleyLuvsLuLu · 03-08-2008, 09:24 AM

I actually just posted about this same subject about a week and a half ago and know exactly where you are coming from. I had my Lulu spayed on 02/26 and had no idea what to expect. When i got home from work she seemed okay and very happy to see me. She pretty much slept for the next 24 hours and wasnt quite herself until 2 days post op. After that its like it never even occured. Her sutures will disolve so i dont need to take her back and she isnt licking her incision so there was no need to get her an e collar. I am still not sure about when i can finally give her a bath but i will probably hold out a little longer until she is completely healed. (doggy wipes are okay but they only do so much). I have started taking her out for walks but nothing to rowdy like the dog park. Your puppy will do well. Hope this somewhat helps..

RonE · 03-08-2008, 09:28 AM

Both my girls were spayed on Fridays, spent the night for observation and came home the next day.

It was a big challenge keeping them relatively quiet - especially the second one, since she wanted to play with her sister.

Otherwise, no problems, complications or regrets.

tcasby · 03-10-2008, 11:00 AM

I had the same experience as everyone else. Used a t-shirt to keep here from licking the incision. Scar got a little red and bumpy as it healed but a little reading convinced me this was normal. She was playing at the dog park and swimming in the river 2 weeks later.

MaddiesMom · 03-11-2008, 09:34 AM

Maddie came through the surgery just fine. We dropped her off in the morning at 8 am. They said call at 1:30 pm to see how she was doing. Then the phone rings at noon and my heart dropped -what's wrong? Imagine my relief when they said she's just fine, but she has two puppy teeth still in and do you want us to take them out? I said go ahead.

We picked her up at 3pm and she was happy to see us, just a little glassy eyed. She slept a lot last night. She did eat her dinner and drank a lot of water - and kept it all down. Gave her her pain pill and we were good to go for the rest of the night.

This morning she woke up her usual happy self. She ate her breakfast right down, had a pain pill and then she was off to grandma's for the day.

She really didn't want to be in her cage. She just wants to curl up either on your lap or in her bed, so I didn't drag the cage to grandma's. I told them to just put a blanket on the floor or else pick her up and put her on the couch with you and she should be good to go for the day.

She really hasn't bothered the incision. She just kind of looks at it and then leaves it alone. I don't know if that will change, but if it does I will just put her baby onesie on her. We bought some baby onesies when she was in heat. I cut a hole for her tail and put a panty liner in there for the dripping. They worked great. We tried the expensive dipers they have for dogs, but she would just shimmy out of them. The baby onesies were cheaper then the stupid dipers and they stayed on - that's the main thing. Plus, she looked really cute!

So for now all is good and in the long run it's for the best.

AlleyLuvsLuLu · 03-11-2008, 10:49 AM

Glad to hear that she is doing well and at home resting comfortably.